ICAO Flightplan Form Basics - EuroFPL

Some verbiage and examples adapted directly from PANS-ATM ICAO Doc 4444 Amdt 1. For EuroFPL use and reference only.ICAO Flightplan Form Basics1DATE OF FLIGHTSix-digit date of flight in the format “YYMMDD”, where “YY”is the last two digits of the year, “MM” is a two-digitrepresentation of the month, and “DD” is a two-digitrepresentation of the calendar day (all with leading zeroeswhere necessary).i.e. 121015, 130122.27 AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATIONAircraft registration letters/tail number or an ICAO agencydesignator with flight number. ICAO 2012 strictly enforcesthat this figure should be letters and numbers only, devoidof dashes, spaces, or other punctuation.i.e. N123B, GCABC, KLM672, SWIFT45.3i.e. Departing VFR, cruising IFR, and landing VFR? File Z.TYPE OF FLIGHTDenotes the type of flight as follows: “S” for Scheduled AirService, “N” for Non-scheduled Air Transport Operation, “G”for General Aviation, “M” for Military, and “X” for everythingelse. Other special flight status and handling considerationscan be relayed via the 18 OTHER INFORMATION field’s “STS/”and “RMK/” indicators.59 NUMBERNumber of aircraft in flight, if more than one. This figure isomitted if the flight is only a solo aircraft movement.6As of ICAO 2012, the date of flight (DOF/) figure is morewidely recognized, and many more authorities worldwide will now accept filings as far out as five days ahead.The [ 1] [ 3] and [ 24 hrs] links will automatically setTIME and DATE OF FLIGHT figures 1, 3, or 24 hours aheadof the current time. If these fields aren’t filled in, thesystem will presume a departure in one hour. If a TIMEvalue is entered that is before, or less than 30 minutesahead of, the current time, DATE OF FLIGHT will fillautomatically with the next day’s date. Otherwise, thecurrent date will be entered.8 FLIGHT RULESDenotes the category of flight rules: “I” for IFR, “V” for VFR,“Y” for when the flight will be initially IFR followed by one ormore subsequent flight rules changes, and “Z” for VFR firstwith any number of subsequent changes. When a “Y” or “Z”flight is prepared, “VFR” or “IFR must be entered in the routestring wherever the transitions/changes to the flight rulesare planned to occur.4Did you know?TYPE OF AIRCRAFTType of aircraft, as specified in the latest ICAO Doc 8643, bythe appropriate designator. A search for this designatorcode can be performed online Search.aspxIf no designator exists for your aircraft, or there is more thanone type of aircraft in your flight, enter “ZZZZ” here andspecify number and type(s) in 18 OTHER INFORMATIONpreceded by “TYP/” tags.i.e. P46T, EA50, C182.125634

Some verbiage and examples adapted directly from PANS-ATM ICAO Doc 4444 Amdt 1. For EuroFPL use and reference only.ICAO Flightplan Form Basics1WAKE TURBULENCE CAT.Wake turbulence category of aircraft as specified in ICAODoc 8643 or based on weight and the following options: “L”for Light ( 7,000 kg), “M” for Medium (7,000 to 136,000 kg),“H” for Heavy ( 136,000 kg), and “J” for Jumbo(exceptionally heavy aircraft such as the Airbus A380-800). Asearch for the category can be performed online Search.aspx210 EQUIPMENTThe ICAO 2012 amendment includes extensive changes tothe COM/NAV equipment codes used in the FPL messageformat. These changes and EuroFPL’s helpful ICAO 2012Equipment Wizard are explained in-depth on the next page(Page 3) of this briefing.3Did you know?The nature and scope of the [ICAO 2012] amendment is toupdate the ICAO model flight plan form in order to meetthe needs of aircraft with advanced capabilities and theevolving requirements of automated air traffic management (ATM) systems, while taking into account compatibility with existing systems, human factors, training, costand transition aspects."ICAO State Letter (AN 13/2.1-08/50) - 25 June 200813 DEPARTURE AERODROMEFour-character location indicator of the departureaerodrome, “AFIL” if filed in the air, or “ZZZZ” if no officialdesignator exists in ICAO Doc 7910. In the latter cases, ICAO2012 strictly states that the aerodrome name or primary fixwith location (degrees and minutes ddmmNdddmmEformat preferred) be entered in 18 OTHER INFORMATIONpreceded by a “DEP/” tag.1i.e. EKRK, BIKF, LFPG, CYYR, ZZZZ.4TIMEPlanned time of departure (UTC) in 24-hour “HHMM” format,where “HH” is a two-digit representation of the hour, and“MM” is a two-digit representation of the minutes past thehour (with leading zeroes where necessary).i.e. 0615, 1342, 2305.515 CRUISING SPEEDTrue airspeed for the initial or whole cruise segment of theflight, indicated as: “N” for Knots, followed by a four-digitfigure, “M” for Mach number followed by a three-digitrepresentation of ratio, or “K” for Kilometers/hour followedby a four-digit number.i.e. K0830, N0485, M082.6LEVELPlanned cruising level for the initial or whole cruise segmentof the flight, indicated as: “F” for Flight Level in 100s of feet,“A” for plain altitude in 100s of feet (both three-digit), “S” forStandard Metric Level in tens of metres, “M” for plainaltitude in tens of metres (both four-digit), or “V” foruncontrolled VFR (number field left blank).i.e. F330, M0840, A045.34562

The Equipment Wizard aims to provide users with an organized graphical interface for the many equipment designators employed in this new format. Inputcan be achieved by typing codes directly into the text fields, or by selecting the checkboxes for equipment carried. NIL can be selected under either columnto signify that there is no equipment and/or surveillance capability for the aircraft. Clicking the option will reveal the various items as follows:ICAO Flightplan Form Basics10 EQU IP M ENT -- Euro FPL ICAO 2012 Eq u ip men t Wiz a rdEQUIPMENTVHF RTF/VOR/ILS (S) - Standard COM/NAV SetupGBAS (A) - Ground Based Augmentation SystemLPV (APV/SBAS) (B) - Localizer Performance withVertical Guidance (Infers Satt.-Based Augmentation)LORANC (C) - LORAN-C RadionavigationDME (D) - Distance Measurement EquipmentACARS (Multiple) - Addressing and Reporting SystemADF (F) - Automatic Direction FinderGNSS (G) - Global Navigation Satellite SystemGNSS augmentation “NAV/” data in Field 18 optional.HF RTF (H) - HF RadiotelephoneINERTIAL NAV (I) - Aircraft Inertial GuidanceCPDLC (Multiple) - Controller-Pilot Data LinkMLS (K) - Microwave Landing SystemILS (L) - Instrument Landing SystemATC RTF SATCOM (Multiple) - Radiotelephone Satt.VOR (O) - VHF Omnidirectional Radio RangePBN (R) - Performance-Based NavigationPBN requires corresponding “PBN/” data in Field 18.TACAN (T) - Tactical Air Navigation SystemUHF RTF (U) - UHF RadiotelephoneVHF RTF (V) - VHF RadiotelephoneRVSM (W) - Reduced Vertical Separation MinimumMNPS (X) - Minimum Navigation Performance Spec.VHF 8.33 (Y) - 8.33 kHz Radio Channel SpacingOTHER (Z) - Other Item(s) Not Listed AboveOTHER requires corresponding “COM/”, “NAV/” or “DAT”.SURVEILLANCEMODE A (A) - Mode A TransponderMODE A/C (C) - Mode A Transponder with Mode CS/[.] (Multiple) - Mode S Transponder with or without.ID - Aircraft Identification PALT - Pressure AltitudeADS-B - Surveillance Broadcast DLINK - Data LinkMODE S (S) - Mode S TransponderADS-B/1090 MHz (Multiple) -1090 MHz Out/InADS-B/UAT (Multiple) - Universal Access Trans. Out/InADS-B/VDL M4 (Multiple) - VHF Digital Mode 4 Out/InADS-C/FANS 1/A (D1) - Sur. Contract Future Air Nav.ADS-C/ATN (G1) - Sur. Contract Aeronautical TelecomKey Changes:* New indicators added to describe complex compliment items.* The S indicator “VHF RTF/VOR/ILS” is no longer inclusive of ADF.* If “PBN” is specified, Field 18 requires corresponding “PBN/” data.* If “OTHER” is specified, Field 18 requires “COM/”, “NAV/”, or “DAT/”.For a good overall online reference see also:http://contentzone.eurocontrol.int/FPL/

Some verbiage and examples adapted directly from PANS-ATM ICAO Doc 4444 Amdt 1. For EuroFPL use and reference only.ICAO Flightplan Form Basics1ROUTEA string of points (and connecting airways or DCTs whereapplicable) describing an ATS route or path of fixes no morethan 30 minutes flying time or 200nm apart, including thosepoints where a change of speed, level, track, or flight rules isplanned. Points can be listed by their coded designator (i.e.LN, MAY, HADDY), a 7 or 11-character representation of theircoordinates (i.e. 46N078W, 4620N07805W), or a pointrelative to a reference point based on bearing and distance(i.e. DUB190040 being 40nm out on the 190 degreemagnetic bearing from DUB).Did you know?If you don't enter a TOTAL EET figure, a temporary figureis automatically calculated upon STORE/UPDATE that isbased on great circle distance and basic cruise speed (nowinds) to allow for easy validation of the flightplan. Afterrunning a navigation log, a more accurate TOTAL EETfigure can be entered along with “EET/” entries in the 18OTHER INFORMATION field where appropriate.Change of speed and/or level is indicated by appendingdata formatted as in 15 CRUISING SPEED and LEVEL to apoint, after a slash (i.e. MAY/N0305F180,46N078W/M082F330). Change of flight rules are shown by astandalone “VFR” or “IFR” to indicate the beginning of thatphase of flight.216 DESTINATION AERODROMEFour-character location indicator of the destinationaerodrome or “ZZZZ” if no official designator exists in ICAODoc 7910. In the latter case, ICAO 2012 strictly states thatthe aerodrome name or final fix with location (degrees andminutes ddmmNdddmmE format preferred) be entered in18 OTHER INFORMATION preceded by a “DEST/” tag.i.e. EKRK, BIKF, LFPG, CYYR, ZZZZ.3TOTAL EETTotal estimated enroute time in “HHMM” format, where“HH” is a two-digit representation of the hours and “MM” is atwo-digit representation of minutes in flight (with leadingzeroes where necessary).i.e. 0142, 0305, 0047.4i.e. EKRK, BIKF, LFPG, CYYR, ZZZZ.18 OTHER INFORMATIONThe ICAO 2012 amendment includes extensive changes tothe way data is presented and ordered for Field 18 data inthe FPL message format. These changes and EuroFPL’shelpful ICAO 2012 Other Information Wizard are explainedin-depth on the next page (Page 5) of this briefing.62(2ND) ALTN AERODROMEFour-character location indicator of the alternateaerodrome(s) or “ZZZZ” if no official designator exists inICAO Doc 7910. In the latter case, ICAO 2012 strictly statesthat the aerodrome name(s) with location (degrees andminutes ddmmNdddmmE format preferred) be entered in18 OTHER INFORMATION preceded by a “ALTN/” tag.5119 ENDURANCETotal fuel endurance in “HHMM” format, where “HH” is atwo-digit representation of the hours and “MM” is atwo-digit representation of minutes of fuel (with leadingzeroes where necessary).i.e. 0142, 0305, 0047.5634